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Chapter 5 - Human Trafficking

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2023

By
Inkyu Kim  and
Hanni Stoklosa
Edited by
Mark Curato ,
Kaushal Shah  and
Christopher Reisig
Mark Curato
Affiliation:
Weill Cornell Medicine, New York
Kaushal Shah
Affiliation:
Weill Cornell Medicine, New York
Christopher Reisig
Affiliation:
Weill Cornell Medicine, New York
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Summary

Human trafficking is a global public health problem that affects people of all races, nationalities, socioeconomic classes, and genders. Human traffickers prey on the vulnerable, strip them of their basic human rights and inflict physical and psychological damage to their victims and their communities. The true scope of the problem is unknown because of the hidden nature of the crime. Over 40 million people are estimated to be victims of human trafficking worldwide – 25% of whom are children. Over 24 million people are thought to be trapped in forced labor and 4.8 million in sex trafficking. Women and girls are estimated to be the majority of victims and account for 71% of victims of human trafficking and 99% of sexual exploitation. However, trafficking of men, boys and other genders is highly underrecognized. Additionally, urban areas may have a high density of diverse under regulated or under paid employment that could be particularly difficult for clinicians to identify human trafficking. Clinicians, particularly in the emergency department, have the responsibility to identify, protect, and provide resources to people experiencing human trafficking.

Keywords

Human TraffickingLabor TraffickingSex TraffickingTrauma Informed care
Type
Chapter
Information
Urban Emergency Medicine , pp. 56 - 66
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

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Further Reading

International Labour Organization. Global Estimates of Modern Slavery Forced Labour and Forced Marriage [Internet]. International Labour Organization, 2017 (accessed February 7, 2022). Available from: www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_575479.pdfGoogle Scholar

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